The subject matter described and/or illustrated herein relates generally to electrical contacts, and more particularly, to electrical contacts that include eye-of-the needle (EON) pins for mounting the electrical contact on a printed circuit.
In electronic systems that include printed circuits (sometimes referred to as “circuit boards” or “printed circuit boards”), the printed circuit is typically electrically connected to another electrical device, such as another printed circuit, an electrical cable, an electrical power source, and/or the like. The printed circuit may be electrically connected directly to the other electrical device or may be electrically connected to the other electrical device through an intervening electrical connector. Many printed circuits are electrically connected to other electrical devices using electrical contacts of the other electrical device or the intervening electrical connector that include EON pins that are received within electrical vias of the printed circuit. Specifically, the EON pins include compliant segments that deform as the EON pin is inserted into the electrical via. The compliant segment engages an electrically conductive material on the interior wall of the electrical via to establish an electrical connection between the electrical via and the EON pin.
As electronic systems become smaller, the signal paths thereof become more densely grouped. Moreover, the rate at which the electrical data signals propagate along the signal paths is continually increasing to satisfy the demand for faster electronic systems. There is a demand for reducing the size of the electrical vias within printed circuits to satisfy the increased density and/or higher signal rates. For example, smaller electrical vias can be more densely grouped on the printed circuit. Moreover, and for example, smaller electrical vias may have better electrical performance (e.g., less interference with neighboring electrical vias) than larger electrical vias, which may enable the smaller electrical vias to carry a higher signal rate.
As electrical vias within printed circuits are made smaller, the EON pins must also be reduced in size to fit into such smaller electrical vias. But, such smaller EON pins may not retain enough structural rigidity to resist buckling as the EON pin is inserted into the electrical via. For example, EON pins of electrical contacts include a neck segment that extends between, and interconnects, the compliant segment to a base of the electrical contact. In addition to the compliant segment, the neck segment is also reduced in size to fit into a smaller electrical via. The neck segment may become so small that the force required to insert the compliant segment into the electrical via exceeds the structural rigidity of the neck segment. Accordingly, the EON pin may buckle about the neck segment and thereby fold over the printed circuit instead of sliding into the electrical via, which may result in a poor or no electrical connection between the EON pin and the electrical via.